The present invention pertains to a theft deterrent device, and in particular relates to a theft deterrent device intended for use with a motor vehicle.
A variety of systems have been developed to prevent automobiles from being stolen. Some of the systems involve locking the vehicle transmission in some manner. The problems inherent in these systems are their complicated nature, the ease with which they are bypassed, and the difficulty of their installation. In particular, installation of these systems often requires design changes to the transmission or other mechanical parts of the automobile, or the customization of the system to the type of automobile in which it is installed, e.g., customizations necessary because of size or shape limitations of the automobile. Such customization is time-consuming and expensive. In addition, the same device could not be installed in the same manner for a right hand drive as for a left hand drive automobile. A device is needed that is simple to install for a wide range of automobiles, and readily available to the consumer without the need for customization of the device or the automobile.
In order to overcome at least some of the problems inherent in the complicated prior art devices, the present invention provides a theft deterrent system that is simple yet versatile in construction and can be easily incorporated into a variety of different types of automobiles, without the need for mechanical, structural, or design changes to the automobile or parts thereof.
The present invention relates to a versatile theft deterrent device for use with a wide range of motor vehicles.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the theft deterrent device comprises a baseplate adapted to be secured to a motor vehicle, a housing adapted to be secured to the baseplate, a gear-stick embracing element mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing, and a lock operably located in the gear-stick embracing element to lock the gear-stick embracing element with respect to the housing, thereby preventing movement of the gear-stick embracing element and the gear stick. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the gear-stick embracing element is located within the housing, and the lock is located in the housing to lock the gear-stick embracing element with respect to the housing.
The housing has a plurality of housing apertures that can be aligned with a selected set of baseplate apertures from a plurality of baseplate apertures in the baseplate. Fasteners are inserted through the aligned housing apertures and the selected set of baseplate apertures, thereby securing the housing to the baseplate.
The baseplate can be any of a wide range of shapes and sizes, thus enabling a consumer to select a baseplate of an appropriate size or shape that fits and can be secured to a particular motor vehicle. Regardless of the shape or size of the baseplate, the housing can still be secured to it by way of the baseplate apertures and the housing apertures. Moreover, because the baseplate is separable from the housing, the consumer can use the same housing with more than one type of baseplate. In addition, the housing can be attached to the baseplate at different rotational positions, thereby enabling this device for use in a wide range of vehicle shapes, sizes, and configurations, as well as right hand or left hand drive vehicles.
In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring initially to
Referring now to
Referring again to
Outside of the depression 50, but inside the outer baseplate perimeter 30 is a plurality of baseplate bores 55, which are each adapted to receive a baseplate fastener 60 to secure the baseplate 5 to the motor vehicle. At least one of the baseplate fasteners 60 preferably comprises a bolt, such as a shear bolt. When a shear bolt is used, a substantial part of the head of the bolt snaps off as the bolt is tightened, with the consequence that the bolt cannot readily be removed. Other well-known means for securing the baseplate 5 to a motor vehicle can be used, including screws, rivets, welding, clamping, and so on.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The attachment of the housing 10 to the baseplate 5 according to the theft deterrent device of the present invention is particularly advantageous because the housing 10 is secured to the baseplate 5 from its underside 65. Once the housing 10 has been secured to the baseplate 5, and the baseplate 5 has been secured to the motor vehicle, the underside 65 is extremely difficult to access for a would-be car thief.
Referring now to
The gear-stick embracing element 20 is adapted for mounting on the housing 10 for rotation relative thereto. The gear-stick embracing element 20 is shown in
The lower component 130 has an upwardly extending flange 135 and an outwardly extending flange 140. The upwardly extending flange 135 is received within the circular opening defined by the inwardly directed flange 95 of the housing 10. The outwardly directed flange 140 is located immediately beneath the inwardly directed flange 95. The outwardly extending flange 140 has a flange groove 145 in its upper surface that faces the lower housing groove 100 to thereby form a lower bearing raceway 160 (
Referring now to
A lock comprising a key operated body 165 is provided in the upper component 105. The key operated body 165 is operably connected to a drivable pinion 170, which is engaged with a locking bolt 175 that is capable of generally axial movement with respect to the pinion 170. A radial bore 180 provided in the wall 80 has an open end on the interior of the wall 80 to receive the locking bolt 175. When the key operated body 165 is actuated such that the locking bolt 175 is aligned with and has been driven partly into the bore 180, then the locking bolt 175 locks the gear-stick embracing element 20 so that it cannot rotate relative to the housing, which prevents movement of the gear stick 25. When the key operated body 165 is actuated such that the locking bolt 175 is driven radially inwardly and is withdrawn from the bore 180, then the gear stick 25 and the gear-stick embracing element 20 can be moved and normal vehicle operation can proceed.
When the theft deterrent device 1 is assembled as shown in
It is to be appreciated that when the key operated body 165 is actuated such that the locking bolt 175 is driven into the bore 180, then the theft deterrent device 1 is in the “locked position”. In the locked position, the gear stick 25 is constrained by the first slot 185 and by the transversely extending second slot 190, and thus cannot be moved. However, when the key operated body 165 has been actuated to retract the locking bolt 175 from the bore 180, then the theft deterrent device is in the “unlocked position”. The gear-stick embracing element 20 is free to rotate, and the gear stick can be moved.
The baseplate 5 can be of any shape or size, for example, rectangular, square, circular, oval, oblong shapes, etc. Similarly, the hole 40 can be a variety of shapes and sizes. As the hole 40, and in particular the baseplate 5, can be any of a wide range of shapes and sizes, a consumer need only select a baseplate of an appropriate size or shape that fits and can be secured to a particular motor vehicle. In addition, any one housing could be used with more than one shape or size baseplate, thus the theft deterrent device of the present invention can be provided as a kit comprising a housing and two or more baseplates.
Preferably, the baseplate apertures 230 are in an annular depression 235, which preferably is formed in an upper surface 236 of the baseplate 200 adjacent the hole 225. In other embodiments, the annular depression 235 may be replaced with an annular protrusion, or may be eliminated altogether depending on the particular configuration of the housing 210.
As in the embodiment illustrated in
Referring now to
Preferably, the plurality of baseplate apertures 230 is greater in number than the plurality of housing apertures 250, so that the housing 210 can be attached to the baseplate 200 at different rotational positions with respect to the baseplate 200 to accommodate different vehicle configurations. Examples of different rotational positions of the housing 210 are illustrated in
Referring now to
Referring to
When the locking bolt 305 is in the “unlocked” position, as shown in
Referring again to
Housing 210 includes a passage 212, which extends generally downwardly in a conical manner from the semi-spherical recess 260 to the baseplate 200. When the locking bolt 305 is in the locked position as illustrated in
In the locked position, the gear-stick embracing element 280 cannot rotate, therefore, the gear stick 320 is restrained against movement, thus preventing shifting between gears in the motor vehicle and normal vehicle operation. In contrast, when the locking bolt 305 is in the unlocked position, as illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the embodiment illustrated in
It is to be understood that the baseplate and the housing may be made of any suitable material, but it is preferred to use a strong material, which is resistant to drilling or sawing. Similarly, the other components of the theft deterrent device may be made of a suitably strong material. While the invention has been described with reference to two specific embodiments, it is to be appreciated that these are illustrative embodiments. A wide range of modification, change, and substitution is intended in the disclosure herein, and many modifications may be effected without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050005657 A1 | Jan 2005 | US |